viernes, 4 de enero de 2013

Photovoltaic (PV) technology is playing an
increasingly important role regarding the integration of renewable energy into
urban spaces. With tailor-made VIDURSOLAR BIPV-glass modules, construction
elements with modern and innovative design offering economical payback, can be
applied. Their multi-functionality can be a key-aspect for its major use for
applications in urban spaces, especially urban furniture. These PV-elements
generate green electrical energy, offer shading and physical protection and
additionally, represent an aesthetically unique and ecological image.

VIDURGLASS has been engaged in
several projects where PV was integrated in traditional urban applications and
urban furniture like carports, bus-shelters, interactive or intelligent public
signs and indicators, etc. Especially with the current tendency of creating
smart-city concepts, intelligent and autonomous power-supplies are more and
more important. But last but not least, urban furniture and equipment that is
exposed to the public, also need always an an attractive visual design, that
offers to the owner the possibility of differentiation.

With the application of
VIDURSOLAR BIPV-panels the benefits are numerous as on the one hand they offer
green electricity generation but on the other they match also with high-end
architectural design options and offer the same safety standards of traditional
safety glazing elements. So, on-site green electricity generation can go
hand-in-hand with aesthetics and ecological marketing, substituting traditional
construction elements. Especially in the field of
safety, the post-breakage resistance of Vidursolar BIPV-panels is excellent due
to lamination with PVB, which is very important for overhead glazing units, as
for example in pergolas, bus-shelters, carports, etc. Additionally, VIDURSOLAR
PV-glass modules count with an official certificate according to the norms IEC
EN 61215 y IEC EN 61730 for a family of products.

The
Vidurglass Director’s parking is equipped with a carport of attractive design
featuring VIDURSOLAR BIPV-glass modules and a row of screen-printed glasses
that permits sunlight transmission so that the brand “VIDURSOLAR” is projected
to the ground. Vidurglass can offer several options for glass processing for
this type of effcts, like screen-printing, use of translucent coloured PVB (see
example of pergolas below, etc.). The
Vidurglass PV-carport is designed for 6 cars with a total PV-power of 5 kWp and
a transparency of the BIPV-glass modules of 27%. All cablings and junction
boxes are hidden inside the support profiles.

Pergolas that offer shading of
public spaces are another interesting application in order to integrate PV. The
last project of a PV-pergola executed with VIDURSOLAR BIPV-glass modules has
been the Can Rigal public Park area in Barcelona. The special architectural
design of the pergolas created the need of an adequate design of the
PV-elements to be mounted as roof. Aditionally the glazing units had tio
fulfill the high safety standards for overhead applications. So, the architects
decided to work with VIDURSOLAR BIPV glass-modules in order to meet the
objective to realilse a unique and modern urban area integrating renewable
energies. As a special feature, 4 different colours were used, implemented with
translucent PVB foils inside the BIPV-units. The cabling and junction boxes are
hidden inside the support structure.

Bus shelters are a typical
applications with a certain need of electrical energy. Electrical power supply
in a lot of cases is less costly if provided locally by a PV-system than
connecting the bus-shelter to the grid. So, the new design possibilities of
BIPV-glass modules offers the integration of an autonomous power supply in an
aesthetic way, in line with modern concepts for urban design. VIDURSOLAR
PV-units have been used in several projects and prototypes until now, with
different cesign requirements. The most important feature, a part from the
flexibility of design, has been always the safety aspects offered by PVB as
interlayer.

Last but not least, intelligent
indicators and traffic signals are also a perfect product for the integration
of PV. In the past, conventional PV-technology has been used quite a lot for
traffic signals on highways or interurban roads as the relatively small power
needs are more efficiently covered by autonomous PV-systems than
grid-connection. But for the integration of PV in modern cities and the
coherent design if its urban areas, VIDURSOLAR BIPV-glass modules are an
optimum solution as not only PV-electricity can be generated autonomously, but
the PV-cells can also be integrated directly in the appliances. As an example,
some prototype units for an intelligent indicator on Barcelona’s beaches has
been equipped with VIDURSOLAR BIPV-solutions.

Vidurglass is currently
developping a series of predefined products like carports, modular pergolas and
public lighting for integration in urban spaces that will offer new solutions
for efficient and aesthetic integration of renewable energies in daily life.